Rating: 
Summary: Spooky haunted house tale
Review: Two decades have passed since Jack Sawyer saved a different world from destruction, but remembers nothing about his heroism. Over the subsequent years Jack became a LAPD homicide detective until an incident propels his subconscious mind into pushing him into a retirement in Coulle County, Wisconsin before he recollects his non-earthly gallantry.
Life near the upper Mississippi is pleasant for Jack until a series of gruesome homicides occur. Someone is dining on the town's children. Chief of Police Dale Gilbertson knows his staff is undermanned and inexperienced. He asks his buddy Jack to help with the investigation into what appears is the youthful reincarnation of Albert "Fisherman" Fish, a killer who used the same modus operendi several decades ago. As Jack makes inquires he obtains aid from an assortment of fringe characters, but also begins to believe that the Fish is the puppet of something more malevolent and deadly.
The sequel to the TALISMAN is an incredible collaboration by two grandmasters brilliantly merging the best that each one brings to a novel into one of the top books of the year. The story line is a superb horror tale that terrorizes the reader with fear. The characters seem genuine especially Jack. The references to other novels adds a Speilberg-like appeal especially to fans of Stephen King. Many times the reality never comes close to the hype, but BLACK HOUSE does that and more as Mr. King and Peter Straub co-author a classic that hopefully will not require twenty years for the next team-up.Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: I'll preface my review by stating that I'm a huge fan of The Talisman and have read it several times over the years. I suppose that's why Black House was such a disappointment to me. I eagerly awaited this book's release, excited about being reunited with some of my favorite literary characters. However, it ultimately left me feeling very dissatisfied. The book begins incredibly slowly, in a sort of Dickensian set-up that takes several pages and honestly just felt confusing to me. Setting descriptions go on and on until the reader is unable to actually picture any of the locations mentioned. Finally, characters are introduced and we are brought at last back to Jack Sawyer. He is now a retired homicide detective living in a small town. We learn that Jack has been finding robin feathers and eggs lying around his home. This is where the book really started to bother me. It turns out that the feathers and eggs are a sign from Speedy Parker, which seemed truly contrived to me. It's never explained why Speedy left these various bird-related items; Jack can't figure out what they're for and Speedy simply calls him on the telephone later in the book. As a literary device, the idea seems rather banal. Additionally, this book is unnecessarily gory. Granted, The Talisman contained its fair share of gore, but it never seemed egregious to me the way that the violence and gore in this book did. The characters were unbelievable and forgettable, and in some cases (The Thunder Five) even struck me as ridiculous. The book continued to irk me throughout for various reasons, and I was so enraged by the cheap, tacked-on ending that I almost threw the book across the room. I won't give away the ending for those who intend to read the book, but I will say that it was by far one of the most contrived, dissatisfying "endings" that I've ever read. It's obvious that there was a deadline coming up and something was thrown together at the last minute. Situations are resolved in a hurried, slapdash fashion, key plot points go completely unresolved, things happen to characters that make no sense whatsoever and are never fully explained. Very frustrating. Incidentally, I also found the constant allusions to the Dark Tower series to be distracting and pointless. They were never fully fleshed out, and they were yet another part of the story that simply trailed off into nowhere. The ending was obviously a set up for a third book, but I can honestly say that if another comes out, I will simply read The Talisman again. This book was really quite a poorly executed reunion with the beloved characters from The Talisman. I'm sorry that something that could have been so good turned out to be so bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as Talisman
Review: Having read The Talisman, I expected this to be just as enjoyable. It is a great read, filled with characters that are very beleiveable and some that are amazing. The ending is, however, a big disappointment. I won't give it away, but it seemed as if Steven and Peter were running short on time and had to finish the book in a hurry. It was not very satisfying. Like lighting a huge firecracker and it only burps and shoots a few sparks. After telling the story so well... too bad. There are many points in the book where you can't put it down, so it is a worthy read. There are no half stars, so I had to give it four. I truthfully five it three and a half.
Rating:
Summary: A welcome return to colloboration
Review: After growing weary of Stephen King's most recent efforts I only picked this up because he had once again worked with Peter Straub and I was not disappointed. Having taken me 6 attempts to really "get into" The Talisman I was a little wary of strating this novel but it drew me in right from the first page. Although very much a King novel, it is a King novel at its absolute finest. Working with Mr Straub has definitely brought out the best in this prince of the macabre. The theme of the book may upset some, after all he is a serial child killer, especially in todays climate with children being reported missing on almost a daily basisd. However, the story is so excellently crafted and you know that he will get his just deserts in the end and after some twists and turns along the way I guess he does. This is one of those books best kept for when you have little to do as you will find that you cannot put it down. Everything happens here and now in a normal small American town, well as normal as any town can be when Mr Straub and Mr King have paid it a little visit. Even if you don't normally read horror novels, this isn't your standard horror genre read. Definitely macabre in parts but it works so well on a psychological level that you find yourself wishing that it will never end and turning that last page is disappointing. The ending itself does not disappoint but why does it have to end at all?
Rating:
Summary: I Think This Is Better Than Average
Review: Based on the average review, I must say I thought more of this book. It's no _Talisman_, but it's a good novel. There is some great characterization as is true in most King novels. He's been in a slump recently but Black House is worthy of his name (and Straub's).
Rating:
Summary: Brrrrr. Creepy and fascinating!
Review: Of the many King books we own, I selected this one to hold up as an example of the power of collaboration. From beginning to end, Black House is mesmerizing. I read a couple negative critcisms when it first came out, but wasn't about to let that discourage me. The distinguishing characteristic of this story is that it works well on it's own. Certainly, if you read and loved The Talisman, you're going to eat this puppy up. The only valid negative observation I can make is , yes, you can practically pinpoint the parts where Straub meanders a bit setting up a scene and seems to go off on tangents, but when the writers are of this caliber, and the story is this engrossing, I can be patient. These two authors working together is a unique type of storytelling sorcery, there are moments of awesome terror in this tale, bewitching fantasy, and the depictions of monstrous evil? Pure King, baby.
Rating:
Summary: Where have all the children gone...
Review: I'm an avid fan of Stephen King's, not that that's saying much, but I am. I thought this particular book far surpassed the Talisman, which is not at all necessary to read beforehand. I thought certain elements of the story were amazing and truly eerie. Eerie in that they felt *real*. It had its downside, however. Some characters and some parts of the story were rather cookie cutter style, preplanned and trite. And frankly, cheesy. But these moments were few and far between and other characters and aspects of the story make up for this. This is, in fact, a great read, and will tie you over if you're like me and hunger for the Dark Tower books that loom in the distance. One more thing, if you have an incredible amount of patience and endurance, reading Dickens' Bleak House because it is a great companion to this book.
Rating:
Summary: And the naysayers will say "Nay"
Review: I hate to do it, but I see this book being unnecessarily trashed, so I will refute those criticisms before I explain why I liked this book BETTER than the Talisman. 1. The cannibalism and/or treatment of children was "over the line", "too much", etc. etc.: Rubbish. DO NOT read a Stephen King book if you don't want nastiness. Yes, this was nastier than the average King book, but come on, now. Don't read a Grisham novel and act surprised at its shallow treatment of legal issues; and DON'T read a Stephen King novel and complain that it wasn't quite sanitized enough for you. 2. Too much tie-in with "Dark Tower," aka "You had to read everything else first.": More rubbish. A good friend of mine read this - the only other King books she had read were Misery and It - and she had no problem at all understanding what was going on. I personally found the references to King's other "related" books general enough to almost be something of an in-joke, and the use of the Territories in this novel could nearly stand alone - at worst, it would seem like a mildly underdeveloped plot point to the uninitiated. 3. "Not enough about the Territories": See point 2. To this I add, "Good." Which leads me into why I like this better - yes, BETTER - than The Talisman. The Talisman was a fine book - probably not one of my favorites by either author, but definitely high on the list. I would recommend it, in other words, but wouldn't shout it from the roof tops as I do with, say "The Shining." My primary complaint with The Talisman - the same complaint I have with the Dark Tower series, and the Green Mile, the Stand and others - is that particular brand of fantasy (it is not horror in any sense) is that it is insultingly hokey. I don't care how well written it is. While DT is the least offensive in this sense, the others just never quite do it for me - the whole wide-eyed wonder schtick has been done better a zillion times, and is singularly unconvincing when set against such an otherwise cynical backdrop.
Black House, on the other hand, shook off the Speilbergisms - and is the better for it. It was an intensely moody (in a good way) book, and the whole treatment of simple wrongness, in every sense of the word, was some of the best I've ever read. Anywhere.
I had to knock a star off the rating because the whole floating around the town intro WAS ANNOYING. I'm sure this was Straub's doing, and I am disappointed, because I usually love the man's work. That aside, I loved Black House and would recommend it to anyone
Rating: 
Summary: WILL THE REAL SK PLEASE STAND UP
Review: Don't make me feel like I'm the only one - SK has begun a gradual slip from brilliance to recycled. No longer to do I anticipate the next book (Dark Tower series excluded), but I read it nonetheless, hoping that he's going to get it right again. This book tries (they all do I suppose) to recapture the glory days of The Talisman, and other earlier SK works of genius. For a lesser author(s) I wouldn't be as harsh and SK shouldn't shoulder all the blame, after all, it is a collaborative effort. My chief complaint seems to be what the other reviews found to be positive, and that's the flirtation with the Dark Tower. That series my friends is something to behold, his crowning achievement in my opinion. However, its usage in this story seems somehow contrived and forced. I hate to be cynical, but I couldn't escape the feeling that the monster story they wrote was weak and so as a last ditch effort they sprinkled some King literary franchise magic over the plot and voila!
Bottom Line: I'll eventually read everything that he writes - I'm a fan and will always be. The junkies will have already read this book, but if you're new to King I would suggest starting at the very beginning with Carrie and work forward. The journey has been amazing and so much fun.
Rating:
Summary: Damn good
Review: It's a bit hard to comment on this novel. I read The Talisman at age 12, and it completely enchanted me. Of course I had to make a go for Black House the moment it was released. So what did I think of it? The 'floating camera' standpoint was original and different. While it took some getting used to, it certainly piqued my interest. It gave some interesting insights into the setting, the characters, and a foreboding sense of doom. Calm before the storm, indeed. The characters.
I had to get used to older Jack. Maybe because I identified so strongly with younger Jack (we were of an age when I read it), I had a hard time accepting him as a man in his thirties, first. Later on I began to adore him as the adult he was: friendly, loyal, a true friend to have.
Henry Leyden was brilliant, as were the Thunder Five. Beezer St Pierre was a damn cool guy, and what happened to Mouse is something you wouldnt wish on anyone.
Judy and Sophie were beautiful, both in their own right. Tyler was a brave kid, and I was rooting for him all the way.
The only negative points were that I missed Rational Richard Sloat a lot. Never thought I would, but I did. And Lily, of course. All that hassle with finding her that Talisman, and in the next book she's dead anyway. That was a bit of a disappointment. The plot.
OMG - this is a Dark Tower novel! The Tower junkie in me was building a party during this book. So many lovely details, insights, and answered questions. And yet so many more arose, of course.
The Fisherman was a good villain, or Mr Munshun, rather. He was creepy and scary and someone you sure as hell dont want to cross. A bit like zombies or vampires are creepy and scary. I pity his poor victims. :(
The ending was to my satisfaction; it resolved this particular plotthread of the Dark Tower, of the Fisherman, and in the end even with the Territories and Jack. So nothing but praise here! The writing style.
The style was definitely different from the Talisman. Where the Talisman seemed mostly written by King, with some Straub edits and influences, it seemed in Black House that King had set up the story and let Straub do most of the writing here. I dont know if that is the case, but it subtly changed the feeling of the story and disconnected Black House from The Talisman in my mind. In the end I give it a 4 out of 5 rating. Because it's still a damn good book. It was different than I expected, but in it's own right (I see it as a bridge between the Talisman and the Dark Tower), it's still a damn good novel and worth the read. A must-read, even.
| 
